Upon arrival in the Virgin Islands, we had hoped to have at least a couple of charters booked. Unfortunately we have been unsuccessful in our endeavors, in spite of Susie's most ambitious marketing venue which was putting ad brochures into empty wine bottles and pitching them overboard at regular intervals. Our gorgeous website created by Rod Houk gets plenty of lookie-loos, but no serious inquires.
We also learned that the government of the British Virgin Islands has enacted a host of new regulations applying to charter yachts, to be enforced starting February 15th. We looked into the new rules, and have found that it would take an additional substantial investment on our part in order to bring our boat into compliance.
Given the fact that we have no revenue stream to offset the expense, and none in the pipeline, we have decided to abandon our plans to enter the charter business.
What to do?
We are nearing the three-year mark on our voyages aboard KINGDOM. Our mutually agreed commitment was for three years before we would decide on a new venture, and here we are. We have enjoyed a first class experience, and trying to curb our appetite for the good life is not very attractive to us; go big or go home is our philosophy...so it's time to come home.
In addition, we miss our families. We feel we are neglecting our kids, grandkids, Susan's father, and our many friends. We had hoped to have more of them visit us aboard, but those visits have been few and far between.
After much discussion and consideration, we have decided to return to the U.S. and offer KINGDOM for sale. We will be moving the boat to Melbourne, Florida, where our favorite boat broker, Jim Guin, has arranged a slip for us in a local marina, where it can conveniently be shown to prospective buyers.
Walt will stay with the boat until it sells. We believe it requires constant attention to maintenance, cleaning and polishing to show well.
Once we are established in Melbourne, Susan will return to Scottsdale and work to re-start her real estate business. She will probably rent a small apartment initially.
After the boat is sold, we will use the proceeds to buy a small home in the Scottsdale area, and we will both be back to stay.
Please know that we have absolutely no regrets. Not about our decision to go to sea, nor about our decision to go ashore. Personally, I was never overly enthusiastic about the idea of running a charter business. Having paying guests in your home is not the same as having invited guests in your home. I think t would feel differently if the boat had been purchased with that purpose in mind, and if it were not our only home.
We have had a wonderful time cruising the Caribbean! We have lived the life many people only dream of living. We could go on doing this for years to come, but it is just not practical without generating more income. We love our boat; we love the cruising community; we love the people of the Caribbean; we even love the challenges we have faced, since we have grown from each of them.
Our fuel tanks are full. The larder is stocked. All we need now is a good weather window, and we will be headed home!
Look for us to come steaming over the horizon one day soon...
Saturday, February 6, 2010
St. Thomas at last!
Since arriving in the US Virgin Islands January 14th, we have been quite busy! First order of business was to find our friends and catch up on our doings since we saw them last year.
Dick Shirley and his wife, Jill Lambert are here aboard their 44' Island Packet sailboat, "Changin' Tags". (Dick owns auto dealerships in Burlington N.C.) Jill and Dick brought Molly to us last year from Virgina, and have become dear friends.Edit Pages
We met Jay and Bernadette De Shay last year, while they were managing the charter catamaran "Tachyon". We finally found them while anchored in Christmas Cove on their new boat "Vivo", a beatiful 60' catamaran. They are now salaried crew for the owner, and are not having to do charters anymore. A wonderful couple, and we have become great friends.
We've also caught up with Ana and Wolfgang Boehringer. They are a young and energetic European couple whom we met last year at American Yacht Harbor. They purchased "Second Wind", a 56' Angel Yacht-Fish motor yacht while we were there. Since then they have purchased a home with rental apartments attached, fixed up their boat, and have been working hard as Dive Masters for the Ritz Carlton Hotel. In fact, they were the first people we saw as we came into St. Thomas. When we rounded the reef at Little St. James Island, there they were, hosting a group diving the reef! We had no sooner dropped our anchor at Christmas Cove, than their dive boat approached and hailed us! Who could it be? Sure enough, it was Ana on the bow, and Wolfgang at the helm!
We found Dick and Jill at American Yacht Harbor. Since then, we've enjoyed meals together , sailed out into the BVI's together, and swapped more sea stories than Popeye!
We are currently tied up at Sapphire Bay marina, where Ana and Wolfgang live aboard their boat. It is a small, protected marina on the Northeastern tip of St. Thomas, just around the corner from Red Hook.
This is Walt on the dock in front of our boat. The dock is separated from the bay by a small strip of beach and a rock jetty.
View of Sapphire Bay marina and some of the condos
Another view of Sapphire Bay Marina, looking toward the hotels
You can almost spit in the ocean from our bow pulpit. From this angle, it looks like we've run aground, but we are actually in a slip at the marina.
Jill Lambert, Dick's better half
Walt and Dick, hoisting a couple in Virgin Gorda
From left - Dick, Jill, Susan and Walt, ashore in Virgin Gorda
Cruise Ships docked in Charlotte Amalie harbor, St. Thomas, where we have been anchored for a few days at a time
Yacht Haven Grande Marina, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
Bernadette and Susan on KINGDOM's aft Deck
Dick and Molly (his granddog)
Jill Lambert and Jason De Shay, feeling no pain
Dick, Molly, Bernadette, and Susan (she's the grumpy one...)
Dick Shirley and his wife, Jill Lambert are here aboard their 44' Island Packet sailboat, "Changin' Tags". (Dick owns auto dealerships in Burlington N.C.) Jill and Dick brought Molly to us last year from Virgina, and have become dear friends.Edit Pages
We met Jay and Bernadette De Shay last year, while they were managing the charter catamaran "Tachyon". We finally found them while anchored in Christmas Cove on their new boat "Vivo", a beatiful 60' catamaran. They are now salaried crew for the owner, and are not having to do charters anymore. A wonderful couple, and we have become great friends.
We've also caught up with Ana and Wolfgang Boehringer. They are a young and energetic European couple whom we met last year at American Yacht Harbor. They purchased "Second Wind", a 56' Angel Yacht-Fish motor yacht while we were there. Since then they have purchased a home with rental apartments attached, fixed up their boat, and have been working hard as Dive Masters for the Ritz Carlton Hotel. In fact, they were the first people we saw as we came into St. Thomas. When we rounded the reef at Little St. James Island, there they were, hosting a group diving the reef! We had no sooner dropped our anchor at Christmas Cove, than their dive boat approached and hailed us! Who could it be? Sure enough, it was Ana on the bow, and Wolfgang at the helm!
We found Dick and Jill at American Yacht Harbor. Since then, we've enjoyed meals together , sailed out into the BVI's together, and swapped more sea stories than Popeye!
We are currently tied up at Sapphire Bay marina, where Ana and Wolfgang live aboard their boat. It is a small, protected marina on the Northeastern tip of St. Thomas, just around the corner from Red Hook.
This is Walt on the dock in front of our boat. The dock is separated from the bay by a small strip of beach and a rock jetty.
View of Sapphire Bay marina and some of the condos
Another view of Sapphire Bay Marina, looking toward the hotels
You can almost spit in the ocean from our bow pulpit. From this angle, it looks like we've run aground, but we are actually in a slip at the marina.
Jill Lambert, Dick's better half
Walt and Dick, hoisting a couple in Virgin Gorda
From left - Dick, Jill, Susan and Walt, ashore in Virgin Gorda
Cruise Ships docked in Charlotte Amalie harbor, St. Thomas, where we have been anchored for a few days at a time
Yacht Haven Grande Marina, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
Bernadette and Susan on KINGDOM's aft Deck
Dick and Molly (his granddog)
Jill Lambert and Jason De Shay, feeling no pain
Dick, Molly, Bernadette, and Susan (she's the grumpy one...)
Anguilla to Virgin Gorda
We departed Road Bay, Anguilla at 6:30am, Wednesday, January 13th. This is a long run of about 80 miles, and we dropped the anchor at 5:00pm in Gorda Sound, Virgin Gorda, after nearly 11 hours underway. This passage can be ugly, but we were lucky to have excellent weather, relatively calm seas, and we breathed a sigh of relief when we made it before dark.
Actually, this was the last day of decent weather we have had for several weeks! Thank goodness we were not delayed any longer...
Sunset in Virgin Gorda.
Lunch in Anguilla
Lunch in Anguilla
Yes, I think I will have another Vodka Grapefruit cocktail
Actually, this was the last day of decent weather we have had for several weeks! Thank goodness we were not delayed any longer...
Sunset in Virgin Gorda.
Lunch in Anguilla
Lunch in Anguilla
Yes, I think I will have another Vodka Grapefruit cocktail
Les Saintes to St. Barth's to Anguilla
Because of our longer-than-planned stay in the Saintes, we needed to move rather faster than we would have normally. We left the Saintes at 9:00am on January 6, making the 31 mile run up to Deshailles, on the NW shore of Guadaloupe in 5 hours. We arrived there at 2:00pm, and departed the next morning at 8:15am, bound for Jolly Harbor, Antigua, a 49 mile run. We ran into the harbor, looking for the customs and immigration dock. We found it, but there was no one around to take our lines and help us dock. So we turned around and headed back out to the outer harbor, and anchored in about 8 feet of water. Next morning, Friday, January 8th, we departed at 6:30am, headed due East to Basseterre, St. Kitts. Although this was a 51 mile run, we had following seas and following winds all the way, making this a romp! All the way, we could see the smoke plume from the volcano on Montserrat to the Southeast, and were glad not to be downwind of it! We pulled into the marina at Basseterre at 2pm, and were awarded the last available slip. We checked in with Customs and Immigration, and had our customary anchor drink...
We had hoped to visit with our friends Mike and Beth Smith when we arrived, but they were off-island. They were due back on Sunday afternoon, so we hung out in the Marina, visited the local grocery store, and washed down the boat. We also met and visited with a couple of other cruisers in the Marina, hob-nobbing until Mike and Beth arrived. We did in fact meet up with them on Sunday afternoon, and they took us over to a Sports Bar on one of the popular beaches. We were able to see the Arizona Cardinals squeak out an overtime victory over Green Bay, while visiting and munching on very large cheeseburgers, and an enormous mound of french fries.
Monday morning, January 11th, we pulled out of St. Kitts, bound for Gustavia, on St. Barth's, a 44 mile northerly run. We arrived at 2:00pm, and anchored in the outer harbor. We had planned to spend a day or two here, as it is a delightful French island. However, since we were already far behind schedule, we reluctantly pulled out at 8:00am, heading for Road Bay, on the north side of the island of Anguilla. We bypassed St. Martin entirely. We had not visited Anguilla before, and we were interested in this tiny British island. We also knew that this was a great jumping-off place for the long 80 mile run to Virgin Gorda. Here we dropped our dinghy, went ashore to clear in with Customs and Immigration, and had a nice lunch at a lovely beachside restaurant.
An interesting side note about Anguilla - When the British were attempting to get rid of their Caribbean "protectorates", they decided to lump St. Kitts and Anguilla into one new Government for both islands, even though they are about 100 miles apart, with St. Barth and St. Martin in between. The Anguillans were outraged, and wanted to remain British! After making many official protests, all ignored, they decided to invade St. Kitts! So a small party of men in small boats sailed to Basseterre, St. Kitts, shot up the police station, and escaped back to Anguilla. Nobody seems to have been hurt in the "invasion", but the British, fearing a communist takeover, sent an amphibian armed force to Anguilla to put down the insurrection. Wading ashore on the lovely beaches of Anguilla, they were met by a few small boys catching crabs. The islanders welcomed them, and in the end, the Brits decided that Anguilla would not be forced to leave the protection of the British Empire.
At anchor off St. Bart's
Sunset off St. Bart's
View of the Gustavia outer harbor. This is as close as we went on this visit.
While at St. Bart's this enormous Tri-Maran anchored nearby. It must be 100 feet long, and is one of the most unusual boats we have ever seen.
A second view of this Tri-maran, bow-on. From this angle, it is hard to get a sense of its size.
We had hoped to visit with our friends Mike and Beth Smith when we arrived, but they were off-island. They were due back on Sunday afternoon, so we hung out in the Marina, visited the local grocery store, and washed down the boat. We also met and visited with a couple of other cruisers in the Marina, hob-nobbing until Mike and Beth arrived. We did in fact meet up with them on Sunday afternoon, and they took us over to a Sports Bar on one of the popular beaches. We were able to see the Arizona Cardinals squeak out an overtime victory over Green Bay, while visiting and munching on very large cheeseburgers, and an enormous mound of french fries.
Monday morning, January 11th, we pulled out of St. Kitts, bound for Gustavia, on St. Barth's, a 44 mile northerly run. We arrived at 2:00pm, and anchored in the outer harbor. We had planned to spend a day or two here, as it is a delightful French island. However, since we were already far behind schedule, we reluctantly pulled out at 8:00am, heading for Road Bay, on the north side of the island of Anguilla. We bypassed St. Martin entirely. We had not visited Anguilla before, and we were interested in this tiny British island. We also knew that this was a great jumping-off place for the long 80 mile run to Virgin Gorda. Here we dropped our dinghy, went ashore to clear in with Customs and Immigration, and had a nice lunch at a lovely beachside restaurant.
An interesting side note about Anguilla - When the British were attempting to get rid of their Caribbean "protectorates", they decided to lump St. Kitts and Anguilla into one new Government for both islands, even though they are about 100 miles apart, with St. Barth and St. Martin in between. The Anguillans were outraged, and wanted to remain British! After making many official protests, all ignored, they decided to invade St. Kitts! So a small party of men in small boats sailed to Basseterre, St. Kitts, shot up the police station, and escaped back to Anguilla. Nobody seems to have been hurt in the "invasion", but the British, fearing a communist takeover, sent an amphibian armed force to Anguilla to put down the insurrection. Wading ashore on the lovely beaches of Anguilla, they were met by a few small boys catching crabs. The islanders welcomed them, and in the end, the Brits decided that Anguilla would not be forced to leave the protection of the British Empire.
At anchor off St. Bart's
Sunset off St. Bart's
View of the Gustavia outer harbor. This is as close as we went on this visit. 
While at St. Bart's this enormous Tri-Maran anchored nearby. It must be 100 feet long, and is one of the most unusual boats we have ever seen.
A second view of this Tri-maran, bow-on. From this angle, it is hard to get a sense of its size.
Iles de Saintes
Leaving St. Lucia on December 17, we made it to St. Pierre, Martinique by 4:30pm, and dropped the hook in the small harbor there. Early next morning (7:20am), we departed for Portsmouth, Dominica, arriving at 3:20pm. We cleared customs and Immigration before they closed for the day. We spent the next day, Dec.19th, changing the oil, oil filters, and fuel filters in both generators. We moved on to the Iles des Saintes on Monday, December 21st. This was a short cruise of less than three hours, and we arrived before noon.
The Saintes, as they are casually referred to, are a lovely island group lying midway between Dominica and Guadaloupe. They are actually part of France, as is the island of Guadaloupe, and it is very apparent by the language, architecture, and cuisine. We were delighted with the village and its people.
We learned, for example, that no slaves were ever imported to the Saintes, since the island group is small, rocky, and unsuited to any sort of agriculture. Therefore, no slaves were required, and the island group remains largely caucasian to this day.
We tried, unsuccessfully, to find immigration or customs officials to clear us in. We were told that nobody was available to do so, and that officials probably would not appear until well after the new year (Holidays are taken seriously, ya know...).
We ended up staying about two weeks, right through Christmas and New Years because of a mechanical problem.
Basically, neither of our main engines would start! We tried everything we knew to try. Eventually, a diesel mechanic was summoned from Guadaloupe. He diagnosed the problem in about five minutes, and our engines started right up! Somehow our emergency shut-down cables had been activated, which cut off the air supply to the engines, thus they would try to start, but running out of air, could not sustain combustion. The mechanic showed me how to re-set the shutoff mechanism, so again I learned an expensive lesson. Since he had committed the day to us, travelling by ferry from Guadaloupe in the morning, and catching the ferry back to his base in the late afternoon, we owed him a day's hourly rate. I almost didn't mind paying him the $500 fee, since he was a delightful fellow, clearly knowlegable, and most important, HE DIDN'T LAUGH IN MY FACE!
While we were stuck, and waiting for the mechanic to arrive after the holidays, we enjoyed our time in the Saintes. We stocked up on excellent and inexpensive Friench wine, bought and froze a number of the wonderful baguettes that are baked fresh daily, and enjoyed one extraordinary meal at a restaurant ashore. Restaurant "Ti Kaz La" offers an amazing menu! I was very adventurous, and ordered a dish I never in my life would imagine ordering: Pigs Feet Stuffed with Sweetbreads. I don't think I can describe the experience adequately, but let me assure you, there was nothing left but a few toenails when I finished eating!
We went ashore every few days to access the internet at a cafe, and mostly tried to catch up on email and make a few skype calls to family, but we were unable to update the blog due to time constraints. The cafe had some unusual operating hours, closing mid-afternoon, and if they were open at all in the evening, it was too crowded for us to hook up the computer.
Walt, lunching ashore at the internet cafe.
Susan, lunching ashore at the internet cafe.
Waterfront Bar in the Saintes
A view of the waterfront and the village
While we were at anchor, this 5-masted cruise ship came in for a visit
Believe it or not, this is a private residence in the shape of a ship's bow. On the top floor is a doctor's office.
La Fringale restaurant, along the main street of the village.
Main Street
This was the Wind Star ship that Susan and I began our Caribbean adventure aboard, several years ago. What a coincidence that she came in while we were in the Saintes! That was the cruise that caused us to fall in love with the Islands and thier people.
View of one of the small harbors in the Saintes.
The Saintes, as they are casually referred to, are a lovely island group lying midway between Dominica and Guadaloupe. They are actually part of France, as is the island of Guadaloupe, and it is very apparent by the language, architecture, and cuisine. We were delighted with the village and its people.
We learned, for example, that no slaves were ever imported to the Saintes, since the island group is small, rocky, and unsuited to any sort of agriculture. Therefore, no slaves were required, and the island group remains largely caucasian to this day.
We tried, unsuccessfully, to find immigration or customs officials to clear us in. We were told that nobody was available to do so, and that officials probably would not appear until well after the new year (Holidays are taken seriously, ya know...).
We ended up staying about two weeks, right through Christmas and New Years because of a mechanical problem.
Basically, neither of our main engines would start! We tried everything we knew to try. Eventually, a diesel mechanic was summoned from Guadaloupe. He diagnosed the problem in about five minutes, and our engines started right up! Somehow our emergency shut-down cables had been activated, which cut off the air supply to the engines, thus they would try to start, but running out of air, could not sustain combustion. The mechanic showed me how to re-set the shutoff mechanism, so again I learned an expensive lesson. Since he had committed the day to us, travelling by ferry from Guadaloupe in the morning, and catching the ferry back to his base in the late afternoon, we owed him a day's hourly rate. I almost didn't mind paying him the $500 fee, since he was a delightful fellow, clearly knowlegable, and most important, HE DIDN'T LAUGH IN MY FACE!
While we were stuck, and waiting for the mechanic to arrive after the holidays, we enjoyed our time in the Saintes. We stocked up on excellent and inexpensive Friench wine, bought and froze a number of the wonderful baguettes that are baked fresh daily, and enjoyed one extraordinary meal at a restaurant ashore. Restaurant "Ti Kaz La" offers an amazing menu! I was very adventurous, and ordered a dish I never in my life would imagine ordering: Pigs Feet Stuffed with Sweetbreads. I don't think I can describe the experience adequately, but let me assure you, there was nothing left but a few toenails when I finished eating!
We went ashore every few days to access the internet at a cafe, and mostly tried to catch up on email and make a few skype calls to family, but we were unable to update the blog due to time constraints. The cafe had some unusual operating hours, closing mid-afternoon, and if they were open at all in the evening, it was too crowded for us to hook up the computer.
Walt, lunching ashore at the internet cafe.
Susan, lunching ashore at the internet cafe.
Waterfront Bar in the Saintes
A view of the waterfront and the village
While we were at anchor, this 5-masted cruise ship came in for a visit
Believe it or not, this is a private residence in the shape of a ship's bow. On the top floor is a doctor's office.
La Fringale restaurant, along the main street of the village.
Main Street
This was the Wind Star ship that Susan and I began our Caribbean adventure aboard, several years ago. What a coincidence that she came in while we were in the Saintes! That was the cruise that caused us to fall in love with the Islands and thier people.
View of one of the small harbors in the Saintes.
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